Crew trades Chad Marshall to Seattle Sounders FC

COLUMBUS – The Columbus Crew today announced that it has traded defender Chad Marshall to Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for allocation money and a 2015 Third Round SuperDraft selection. The agreement was executed prior to Major League Soccer’s 5:00 p.m. ET trade deadline on Wednesday, December 11 ahead of the 2013 MLS Re-Entry Process. Per MLS and club policy, further details of the deal were not disclosed.

“We’d like to thank Chad for his many contributions to the Columbus Crew over the past 10 seasons. He was a part of some very good teams and contributed significantly to those results,” said Crew Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. “Unfortunately in our League in order to get something of value you have to make difficult decisions. This deal gives us significant flexibility to continue building our roster. We feel that this is the perfect time to maximize Chad's value, and by us doing this trade, we have received that and additional resources.”

Marshall, 29, departs the Black & Gold following 10 years of service with the club. The West Coast (Riverside, Calif.) native was drafted by the Crew with the club’s first selection (second overall) in the First Round of the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, helping the Crew to its first Supporters’ Shield title that season. Later, he assisted in leading the club to back-to-back Supporters’ Shield titles in 2008 and 2009 and was named MLS Defender of the Year and MLS Best XI in both campaigns, while also notching the game-winning goal in MLS Cup 2008 en route to the Crew’s first title. A two-time MLS All-Star in 2009 and 2010, Marshall (2004-2013) is tied with fellow club legend Duncan Oughton (2001-2010) as the longest-tenured Crew player in team history dating back to 1996.

Marshall departs the Black & Gold as the all-time leader in appearances (253), starts (250) and minutes played (22,220). He recorded 16 goals and 10 assists, and the defender was issued only one red card in a Crew career that averaged 25 starts per season over the course of a decade. A veteran presence, Marshall wore the captain’s armband during the latter stages of his Crew tenure.

In 2013, he ascended to a pair of club longevity milestones, becoming the first Crew player in club history and, at the time, the 46th field player in MLS history to record 20,000 minutes in regular-season action. Five months later, Marshall became the first Crew player to record his 250th career appearance for the club in a 4-2 win at FC Dallas on September 29. On the club side, he took home the team’s MVP Award (2011), Defender of the Year honor four times (2008-2010, 2013) and was awarded the first Breakout Performance of the Year Award in 2004.